diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251.h b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251.h
index ebe2c70559cd..13f0589beec9 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251.h
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251.h
@@ -285,6 +285,8 @@ struct wl1251_if_operations {
 	void (*read)(struct wl1251 *wl, int addr, void *buf, size_t len);
 	void (*write)(struct wl1251 *wl, int addr, void *buf, size_t len);
 	void (*reset)(struct wl1251 *wl);
+	void (*enable_irq)(struct wl1251 *wl);
+	void (*disable_irq)(struct wl1251 *wl);
 };
 
 struct wl1251 {
@@ -404,10 +406,11 @@ struct wl1251 {
 int wl1251_plt_start(struct wl1251 *wl);
 int wl1251_plt_stop(struct wl1251 *wl);
 
-irqreturn_t wl1251_irq(int irq, void *cookie);
 struct ieee80211_hw *wl1251_alloc_hw(void);
 int wl1251_free_hw(struct wl1251 *wl);
 int wl1251_init_ieee80211(struct wl1251 *wl);
+void wl1251_enable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl);
+void wl1251_disable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl);
 
 #define DEFAULT_HW_GEN_MODULATION_TYPE    CCK_LONG /* Long Preamble */
 #define DEFAULT_HW_GEN_TX_RATE          RATE_2MBPS
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_boot.c b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_boot.c
index 5c6f32757ac4..8b50d44d8243 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_boot.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_boot.c
@@ -29,11 +29,6 @@
 #include "wl1251_spi.h"
 #include "wl1251_event.h"
 
-static void wl1251_boot_enable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl)
-{
-	enable_irq(wl->irq);
-}
-
 void wl1251_boot_target_enable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl)
 {
 	wl1251_reg_write32(wl, ACX_REG_INTERRUPT_MASK, ~(wl->intr_mask));
@@ -278,7 +273,7 @@ int wl1251_boot_run_firmware(struct wl1251 *wl)
 	 */
 
 	/* enable gpio interrupts */
-	wl1251_boot_enable_interrupts(wl);
+	wl1251_enable_interrupts(wl);
 
 	wl->chip.op_target_enable_interrupts(wl);
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_main.c b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_main.c
index abe157a174c7..4c1aad33fb51 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_main.c
@@ -42,9 +42,14 @@
 #include "wl1251_init.h"
 #include "wl1251_debugfs.h"
 
-static void wl1251_disable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl)
+void wl1251_enable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl)
 {
-	disable_irq(wl->irq);
+	wl->if_ops->enable_irq(wl);
+}
+
+void wl1251_disable_interrupts(struct wl1251 *wl)
+{
+	wl->if_ops->disable_irq(wl);
 }
 
 static void wl1251_power_off(struct wl1251 *wl)
@@ -57,20 +62,6 @@ static void wl1251_power_on(struct wl1251 *wl)
 	wl->set_power(true);
 }
 
-irqreturn_t wl1251_irq(int irq, void *cookie)
-{
-	struct wl1251 *wl;
-
-	wl1251_debug(DEBUG_IRQ, "IRQ");
-
-	wl = cookie;
-
-	schedule_work(&wl->irq_work);
-
-	return IRQ_HANDLED;
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(wl1251_irq);
-
 static int wl1251_fetch_firmware(struct wl1251 *wl)
 {
 	const struct firmware *fw;
@@ -1280,7 +1271,6 @@ int wl1251_free_hw(struct wl1251 *wl)
 
 	wl1251_debugfs_exit(wl);
 
-	free_irq(wl->irq, wl);
 	kfree(wl->target_mem_map);
 	kfree(wl->data_path);
 	kfree(wl->fw);
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_sdio.c b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_sdio.c
index f1d9e76e0484..f7e451fed8b5 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_sdio.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_sdio.c
@@ -50,7 +50,12 @@ static struct sdio_func *wl_to_func(struct wl1251 *wl)
 
 static void wl1251_sdio_interrupt(struct sdio_func *func)
 {
-	wl1251_irq(0, sdio_get_drvdata(func));
+	struct wl1251 *wl = sdio_get_drvdata(func);
+
+	wl1251_debug(DEBUG_IRQ, "IRQ");
+
+	/* FIXME should be synchronous for sdio */
+	schedule_work(&wl->irq_work);
 }
 
 static const struct sdio_device_id wl1251_devices[] = {
@@ -88,6 +93,24 @@ void wl1251_sdio_reset(struct wl1251 *wl)
 {
 }
 
+static void wl1251_sdio_enable_irq(struct wl1251 *wl)
+{
+	struct sdio_func *func = wl_to_func(wl);
+
+	sdio_claim_host(func);
+	sdio_claim_irq(func, wl1251_sdio_interrupt);
+	sdio_release_host(func);
+}
+
+static void wl1251_sdio_disable_irq(struct wl1251 *wl)
+{
+	struct sdio_func *func = wl_to_func(wl);
+
+	sdio_claim_host(func);
+	sdio_release_irq(func);
+	sdio_release_host(func);
+}
+
 void wl1251_sdio_set_power(bool enable)
 {
 }
@@ -96,6 +119,8 @@ struct wl1251_if_operations wl1251_sdio_ops = {
 	.read = wl1251_sdio_read,
 	.write = wl1251_sdio_write,
 	.reset = wl1251_sdio_reset,
+	.enable_irq = wl1251_sdio_enable_irq,
+	.disable_irq = wl1251_sdio_disable_irq,
 };
 
 int wl1251_sdio_probe(struct sdio_func *func, const struct sdio_device_id *id)
@@ -124,21 +149,14 @@ int wl1251_sdio_probe(struct sdio_func *func, const struct sdio_device_id *id)
 
 	sdio_release_host(func);
 	ret = wl1251_init_ieee80211(wl);
-	sdio_claim_host(func);
 	if (ret)
 		goto disable;
 
-	ret = sdio_claim_irq(func, wl1251_sdio_interrupt);
-	if (ret)
-		goto no_irq;
-
-	sdio_release_host(func);
 	sdio_set_drvdata(func, wl);
 	return ret;
 
-no_irq:
-	wl1251_free_hw(wl);
 disable:
+	sdio_claim_host(func);
 	sdio_disable_func(func);
 release:
 	sdio_release_host(func);
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_spi.c b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_spi.c
index 5967317ef025..7d1031b7a088 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_spi.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/wl12xx/wl1251_spi.c
@@ -31,6 +31,19 @@
 #include "reg.h"
 #include "wl1251_spi.h"
 
+static irqreturn_t wl1251_irq(int irq, void *cookie)
+{
+	struct wl1251 *wl;
+
+	wl1251_debug(DEBUG_IRQ, "IRQ");
+
+	wl = cookie;
+
+	schedule_work(&wl->irq_work);
+
+	return IRQ_HANDLED;
+}
+
 static struct spi_device *wl_to_spi(struct wl1251 *wl)
 {
 	return wl->if_priv;
@@ -193,10 +206,22 @@ static void wl1251_spi_write(struct wl1251 *wl, int addr, void *buf,
 	wl1251_dump(DEBUG_SPI, "spi_write buf -> ", buf, len);
 }
 
+static void wl1251_spi_enable_irq(struct wl1251 *wl)
+{
+	return enable_irq(wl->irq);
+}
+
+static void wl1251_spi_disable_irq(struct wl1251 *wl)
+{
+	return disable_irq(wl->irq);
+}
+
 static const struct wl1251_if_operations wl1251_spi_ops = {
 	.read = wl1251_spi_read,
 	.write = wl1251_spi_write,
 	.reset = wl1251_spi_reset_wake,
+	.enable_irq = wl1251_spi_enable_irq,
+	.disable_irq = wl1251_spi_disable_irq,
 };
 
 static int __devinit wl1251_spi_probe(struct spi_device *spi)
@@ -274,6 +299,7 @@ static int __devexit wl1251_spi_remove(struct spi_device *spi)
 {
 	struct wl1251 *wl = dev_get_drvdata(&spi->dev);
 
+	free_irq(wl->irq, wl);
 	wl1251_free_hw(wl);
 
 	return 0;